Enhancing combined chemo- and radiotherapy in vivo with nanotechnology

A new targeted cancer therapy termed quadrapeutics (after the four components of the therapy) radically accelerated and improved the effect of combined chemotherapy and radiation in vivo.  Cancer cells self-assembled systemically administered antibody-functionalized gold nanoparticles and drug-loaded nanocarriers into intracellular nanoclusters via receptor-mediated endocytosis.  Near-infra-red laser pulses heated the gold nanoparticles generating vapour plasmonic nanobubbles which then exploded, releasing the drugs from the nanocarriers into the cytoplasm.  Subsequently, xray pulses were locally amplified in the cancer cells through the emission of secondary electrons by the gold nanoparticles in the nanoclusters.  Nanocluster size and thus effectiveness increased with the cancer aggressiveness. 

On-demand intracellular amplification of chemoradiation with cancer-specific plasmonic nanobubbles; Ekaterina Y Lukianova-Hleb et al; Nature Medicine; doi:10.1038/nm.3484

http://www.nature.com/nm/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nm.3484.html 

Delivering siRNAs to endothelial cells

Scientists have synthesised nanoparticles which efficiently delivered siRNAs to endothelial cells in vivo and facilitated silencing of up to five different endothelial genes concurrently.  Gene expression in several other cell types was not significantly affected by the presence of the delivery agent.  The nanoparticles, made of low-molecular-weight polyamines and lipids, reduced target gene expression in multiple animal models.  In lung cancer models, primary tumour growth and metastases were both reduced. 

In vivo endothelial siRNA delivery using polymeric nanoparticles with low molecular weight; J.E. Dahlman et al, Nature Nanotechnology, DOI: 10.1038/NNANO.2014.84.

http://www.nature.com/nnano/journal/vaop/ncurrent/abs/nnano.2014.84.html